


The Anniversary

by dcisamtyler



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Injury, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Soft!Master
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28857684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dcisamtyler/pseuds/dcisamtyler
Summary: After playing a version of Gallifreyan laser tag to celebrate their anniversary of traveling together, The Master’s human companion hides the hit she took to let The Master win.
Relationships: The Master (Doctor Who)/Original Female Character(s), The Master (Simm)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 8





	The Anniversary

**Author's Note:**

> This is _terribly_ self-insert-y. Usually, I have written most of my Master lovin' fics as reader-inserts but let's be honest, who wouldn't enjoy their own personalized one if they could write it?! Please enjoy... and of course, be nice if you decide to comment! :)

"Dani, where are you?" 

Sitting in her private bathroom, Dani froze, hearing The Master's deep voice ring out from within the TARDIS. Careful not to make any sound, she held her breath and bit into the slick black fabric of her long sleeve undershirt. Though, there was no point. She hissed as pain seared from the laser burn in her collarbone and chest, like a thousand hot knives touching her bare skin all at once. She continued into deep shaky breaths as tears stung at her eyes, running down her cheeks.

She was not made for this sort of pain. But to be fair, humans were not made for the sort of play that caused this injury. Though, after spending enough time with The Master, Dani had somehow become an expert at it. 

This game, Gallifreyan Tag, was a sort of sparing game reminiscent of the Earthen game of Laser Tag. Involving strategy, wit, and plenty of strength and physicality, it was The Master's favorite game. But Dani had become so much of an expert that she had become a better player than The Master. 

That night, Gallifreyan Tag had gone differently. First, they had chosen to completely forgo protective armor (a stupid decision, Dani realized in retrospect). And this time, to save The Master's ego and end their traveling anniversary on a happy note, Dani had taken a brutal hit without telling him... playing dumb to allow him to win for once (also a stupid decision, in retrospect).

Thankfully, the hit had just missed her neck, but it still stung like hell - the wound looking like the inside of a blood orange. When Dani looked in the mirror and touched it, it sent a vicious pain through her upper half, making it difficult to patch up and heal herself. 

But there was no telling The Master that she allowed him to win. Surely, he would spend the next day and a half moping throughout the TARDIS - hazel eyes cloudy, the spark for adventure and mischief lost. 

As Dani leaned against her bathtub, she tried her best to suffer in silence. Though, The Master's TARDIS seemed to catch on rather quickly. Like The Doctor's model, this one had a bit of an attitude, similar to its owner. It hummed angrily at her like a stern mother, threatening to unlock her bedroom door and alert him. Though, it backed down every time Dani whispered her pleads. 

"Don’t let him see me like this, please," Dani begged. "I’ll be fine."

The machine hummed indignantly, almost like a mechanical huff. But Dani wasn’t out of the woods yet. She heard his voice again. “Where even are you, love?” 

Though there was an air of concern in The Master’s question and a particular level of softness replacing his usual grit, a thrum of panic ran through Dani’s body. He sounded close. 

When Dani didn’t answer, he laughed. "C’mon, darling, I thought we’d celebrate by opening the doors over your blasted planet and taking in the view."

A softness pooled in Dani’s chest. She had been a bit homesick lately. They had been spending a lot of time running around different planets completely unlike Earth. It didn’t leave a lot of time for heading back home and enjoying a day on the beach, feeling the warmth of the sun on her shoulders. It was a peculiar feeling - she never thought she would actually miss the idea of an atmosphere.

After a few moments, the air had gone silent. Dani thought The Master had given up and wandered back to the console to tinker around as per usual. She swallowed hard and let the tears fall from her eyes, running in rivets down her face. The pain had reached levels that she hadn’t fathomed before, making sobs rise in her chest. 

Then the door opened, revealing a silver-haired Master in his gray shirt and black pants, somehow still refined and put together despite the rush of the game. As he glanced over the room, eyes trailing over Dani’s leather jacket and blouse strewn over her bed, his lips curled into an arrogant smile. "I assume you thought of celebrating in a different way. I like the way you think." 

He shoved his hands in his pockets and waited, expecting her to wander out from a hiding place in something nice and lacy… until he heard a swallowed groan from the bathroom. The smile quickly dropped from his face as he wandered inside. 

There against the bathtub, Dani clumsily ran her palm down her face, eyes red, face wet. When she looked up to meet The Master’s eyes, she quickly covered up the wound with her hand, making a low growl leave his throat. "What happened?"

"I had a bit of a mishap with my curling iron."

The Master narrowed his eyes at her. Even Dani knew that was a _terrible_ excuse. "Little human, don’t lie to me." 

Guilty, Dani closed her eyes in an attempt to avoid his gaze. She bit her lip, mumbling, "I let you win." 

“What?” 

“I purposely took a hit. That’s how you won.” 

The Master groaned in frustration. “Dani…” 

“I know.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” The Master’s voice remained firm as he stepped further into the bathroom. He knelt down in front of Dani and the softness bloomed in his eyes, whiskey bright. He nodded towards the girl’s undershirt, asking for her to take it off. 

As the girl started to grin impishly through her pain, The Master’s face twisted into annoyance. “I’m serious, Danielle. I need to see it.” 

Dani complied at the rare use of her full name, slipping out of her top. Somehow, even after being naked in front of The Master plenty of times, this time, she had a serious desire to hide. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” The Master repeated, studying the wound. It bloomed like a wildflower out of her skin. As he pressed for tenderness around it, Dani cringed in pain, making The Master mumble sweet apologies. 

Her reply was quiet. “I wanted you to be happy.” 

The Master stopped, removing his hands and sitting back down on the heels of his boots. His eyebrows furrowed. “You thought I wasn’t happy?” 

Dani shrugged. “I figured you wanted to win. That it wasn’t fun if your little human companion won all the time.” 

The Master threw his head back and chuckled, his eyes sparkling. He shook his head and leaned to press his lips to hers. His lips were always a bit cold, but soft and he truly knew how to use them well, an odd tenderness for an angry Time Lord.

With his lips on hers, Dani seemed to forget what they were even talking about. A warmth fell over her as his hand caressed her cheek, their skin-to-skin contact flaring up. He waited for her to let him in and only remained at the surface, almost like he was waiting in the doorway. Within seconds, a wave of comfort rushed in as the pain from the wound faded away. 

As The Master broke the kiss, Dani ached for his lips again, but he completely pulled away, his gaze stern. “You know, that was bloody stupid. Don’t ever do that again.” 

Dani bit her lip and glanced away. Though The Master had managed to take away the _pain_ of the laser wound, he hadn’t taken away her embarrassment, her shame of doing the wrong thing. Her cheeks warmed as she shook her head, unable to look him in the eye. 

“And tell me these things, okay?” The Master insisted. “Of course, I’m proud of you. I wouldn’t be in love with a human if it wasn’t you.” 

Somehow, it resembled a compliment. Dani shrugged, reaching out and brushing The Master’s cheek with her thumb. 

He turned to quickly kiss her palm before nodding at her chest, his hand reaching to touch her collarbone. “Time to heal this so we can really celebrate, alright?” 

Dani nodded, feeling the warmth rush in again.


End file.
